Psycho therapy
by PollyBunnyPeep
Summary: After a suicide attempt Jane is required to go to therapy with Mrs. Manson.


"Why did you try to commit suicide?" Mrs. Manson repeated, staring with, somehow, curiosity to the girl sitting in front of her.

The blue eyed, raven-haired girl didn't say a word and with a frown, her arms crossed and her eyes on the floor she seemed to completely ignore the presence of anyone else in the room, as if she was there alone, having an unpleasant conversation with herself inside the safety of her mind or recalling an upsetting memory in silence.

"Okay, then. You don't have to speak if you don't want to, but you still have to come here every week for an hour until you give me something to tell Ms. Li".

Nothing.

"Jane, I know you don't like this but you have to say something. Your brother at least talked to me when he had to be sent here, he didn't say much but it was something. You are acting like your sister, what was her name? Penny, right? She didn't talk to me at all, in fact, you are making the same expression she did when she came here. Of course, you were sent here for different reasons".

If it wasn't because Margaret Manson could see the girl breathing in front of her she would've thought she was speaking to a dead body or a doll. Jane wouldn't say a single word or make a sound. Jane Lane had been going to see her on Wednesdays for two weeks. It was a complete hour during which she sat behind her desk to ask questions to Jane and then wait for an answer until the time was over and the girl was free to walk out. Mrs. Manson had been interested in speaking to Jane, after Ms. Li had forced Jane to go speak to the school's psychologist.

"I already went to that self esteem class enough times, why do I have to go with Mrs. Manson too?" Jane complained when Ms. Li had called her to her office and told her she was now required to attend to weekly sessions of therapy with Mrs. Manson.

"Ms. Lane, do I have to remind you of your recent... incident?" replied Ms. Li while looking at Jane's covered wrists ". And also, I don't understand what could make you upset about this. The school is giving you free counseling".

"Counseling shouldn't be an obligation".

"Oh, but I know you have no plans of seeking for any kind of outside help. And here in Lawndale high we care about our students enough not to want to leave them by their own when they are in trouble. We already try to help your siblings before, if those other Lane kids were related to you".

Jane rolled her eyes.

"For how long do I have to go?".

"That will be something that Ms. Manson and I will be discussing based on your progress".

However, Jane had not made any progress at all. Ms. Manson felt frustrated because she had gone through two Lane kids and had done nothing for them. The boy had low grades, no apparent interest in his future and problems with drug abuse and he seemed half asleep throughout the sessions, he didn't seem to understand anything she said. She could swear he was stoned whenever he was there with her. The girl, Penny, had come there after she got in a bad fight with a boy who called her a dyke. She was aggressive and seemed angry all the time. Just like Jane, she had refused to say a word and ended up going to the counseling until she graduated and could finally stop going. And now it was like god was trying to tell her she needed to do something for the Lane kids, thought Mrs. Manson. Two kids was a coincidence but three was enough for her to feel like she was meant to help them.

"How is your brother, uh, Ted? Todd?".

But Jane didn't say anything, not even to correct Mrs. Manson.

"He didn't talk much, mostly because he was asleep most of the time. What a shame, because he seemed to be an interesting person".

Jane remained silence and with her gaze down on the floor.

Mrs. Manson looked at her wristwatch and noticed they still had 20 minutes left.

"What if we make a deal? I'll let you go early if you promise to at least say hi to me the next time you come here. What do you think?".

Jane didn't look at the woman and nodded.

"Okay, so that'll be it for today. Remember to keep your promise, okay?".

Jane nodded as she walked towards the door. She walked through it and closed it behind her.

"Hey, you're out early" Daria said getting up from a chair next to the door as she put her eyes on her friend and closed a book she was reading.

"Yeah, Mrs. Manson made me promise I'll say hi next week but all she said I have to say is that, so I still don't have to talk to her".

"I know you've already said you won't speak to her but I think you should at le-".

"No, Daria. I am not going to change my mind. I don't want to speak to her or to anyone. Why can't you just let it go?" The black haired girl said, frowning and almost yelling.

"Jane, how can you even ask me to let go the fact that for a second I thought I was going to lose my best friend?".

Jane's expression changed. It happened every time Daria said anything like that. It made her shut up, knowing there was nothing she wanted to say.

"Is Trent still out there?" Jane asked.

"He probably fell asleep again but he must be there. Do you feel like going somewhere? Maybe to get some pizza or something?" Daria offered.

"Thank you, but you know I never feel like doing anything on Wednesdays. I just want to go home and sleep until it's not today anymore".

"I have a gift for you, though" Daria said with a smirk as she stopped in the middle of the empty hallway and opened her backpack. She took a box, a pretty decorated one that reminded Jane of those birthdays when her parents were around and remembered it was her birthday or the Christmas when they weren't out of the country. Jane took the box and shaked it softly next to her ear.

"It's paint, isn't it?" Jane asked with a chuckle.

"Damn you know how to ruin perfectly predictable surprises" Daria told her ". I knew you needed more paint. I also may have added some money there because I couldn't figure out how to make the canvas fit inside the box".

Jane smiled and Daria felt satisfied, because lately Wednesdays made Jane pretty unhappy, and she had managed to make her friend smile during one of those dark therapy days.

"Thanks. You know what, amiga? If you still want to go for some pizza I could force myself to get up from my bed and go with you".

"It's okay, Jane. You don't have to spoil your exciting afternoon of sleeping. We'll go tomorrow".

Jane nodded, still with a smile on her face, and with her present she walked through the empty hallways of Lawndale high until she exited the building and found her brother sleeping, the driver's seat was his bed outside of home.

"I'll wake him up" Jane offered ". Trent" she called but he didn't wake up ". Trent" she repeated louder.

"Uh, oh, hey Janey" he greeted with his eyes half closed.

"Hey, Trent. Ready to drive or are you still too asleep to do it?".

"I think it would be better if you drive" he replied to Jane and moved the the back seat, where he lay ready to sleep on the way home ". Oh, hey, Daria" he said before closing his eyes.

"Hi" she replied and opened the door of the passenger's seat.

Jane started the car and began to drive.

"Uh, Daria?".

"Yeah?".

"About what you said, I'm sorry".

"What do you mean?".

"I mean, I'm sorry I worried you with what happened. I wasn't thinking and I didn't think of you and Trent" Jane explained.

"Jane, it's okay. I'm just glad nothing bad happened to you. And I wish you would try to talk to Mrs. Manson or to someone at least. Please, Jane. You know I'm not good with this kind of stuff but I love you and I want to make sure you get better".

Jane sighed.

"I will think about it".

In the backseat, Trent was lying with his eyes wide open. He hadn't dared to mention anything related with the suicide attempt to Jane. He hadn't seen himself able to ask why after she had told him not to talk about it. He had wanted to bring up the subject but didn't know how. Daria, however, was forcing Jane to get out of her comfort zone, something she needed to do. What Trent had just heard, the sincere way in which Jane had said she would think about it, had encouraged him to talk to her. He had been there, he was her brother and family, he had to do something.

The car stopped and Trent closed his eyes.

"Thanks for giving me a ride" Daria said.

"No problem, amiga".

Trent heard a door closing and he heard Daria walking away. He stayed awake and in silence until he felt the car stopping again.

"Trent, wake up. We're home" Jane called.

Trent got up and exited the car. He opened the front door of the house and then saw Jane going to her room without saying anything. He sighed, getting ready to face the subject he had been avoiding and followed her. He opened the door his sister had just closed and found her lying on her bed with her pillow covering her face.

"Janey?".

Jane put the pillow next to her and opened her eyes. Trent sat on the bed and she sat next to him.

"Hey, Trent. What's up?".

"Hey. I need to talk to you".

She seemed confused and crossed her arms.

"Okay. What do you want to talk about?".

The memories rushed across his mind, the things he never thought were important back when he was in high school. He had slowed down with drugs that had kept him stoned since he was 15, but the drugs weren't everything. He had believed he secretly was the most messed up Lane kid once he was sober enough to think.

"Janey, I guess Mrs. Manson told you that I had to go to see her too when I was in high school. I never told you I had to, until now. I didn't want you asking why because then, well, I would have to answer".

"If it's about the drugs, I know that. I'm not stupid, I wasn't stupid back when you were totally fucked because of them. I am sorry, though, I never tried to help. But I didn't know how".

"You were a kid, Janey. You couldn't do anything. But that's not it".

"What do you mean?".

He sighed, ready to say it.

"Do you remember that time when I ended up in the hospital and we told you I had just gotten in a fight?".

"Yeah, I remember that. I was 12, Jesse told me about the fight".

"Well, it isn't completely true. You see, Janey, I had an overdose. Heroin. I did get in a fight and I tried to kill myself from an overdose after that. The reasons had nothing to do with the fight or the drugs. I just didn't want to live, so I understand you. I was going nowhere and I still feel like that, but after the overdose when I saw how happy you were to see me there, something changed. I felt like I had a reason, you know? I had to go to counseling because the school find out thanks to mom and dad. It took me while to quit so during the whole time I was seeing Mrs. Manson I was still a little gone. I haven't completely... fixed some of those things, Janey, and I don't want you to do the same thing I did. Penny never wanted to open up and she still can't have friends or relationships with someone who isn't a bird because she freaks out everyone being so aggressive. And look at me, I'm not going anywhere".

Jane was crying at that point. She had never thought her brother felt that way, or that she was that important to him. She hugged him and kissed his cheek.

"You aren't going nowhere. You are wonderful, Trent, and you are the best brother anyone could ever have. And if you want me to talk to her, I will. I just want to tell you that I am alright. I was just bored and nothing seemed exciting anymore. I didn't see a point".

"That is how I felt, Janey, but at least we have each other, I know I'm not much but I'm here for you".

"Don't you dare to say you aren't much. You're amazing, the only Lane who ever payed any attention to me. We'll make it".

The Lane brothers smiled at each other and they felt better. They had each other, Trent had said, and Jane knew this had been the base of their whole lives since they had been born.

* * *

"Uh, hey, Mrs. Manson" Jane greeted, remembering to keep the promise she had made.

"Hello, Jane. I see you didn't break your promise. To be honest, dear, I didn't even know what did your voice sound like. Anyway, now that you had said something to me, is it enough to make you want to talk more?".

Jane sighed and thought about Daria and Trent sitting outside of the room, right next to the door.

"Yes. I am ready to talk to you".

Mrs. Manson was surprised, but pleased. Her opportunity was finally there. For the first time, one of the Lanes was willing to talk to her. She smiled and invited Jane to take a seat.

"Now, Jane, I want to be direct on this thing. Why did you try to commit suicide?".

Jane sighed again, then began to speak. Outside of the room, Trent and Daria smiled at each other, hearing for the first time something more than silence coming from the room.


End file.
